Meter with interchangeable dial and register



Feb. 1o, 1953 q. C. MILLER 2,627,747

METR WITH INTERCHANGEABLE DIAL AND REGISTER Filed Jan. 27, 1947 2 SHEETS- SHEET l 65 mvN-roe 7 Jawa 6. MM45@ MA LM* LA Feb. 10, 1953 J. c. MILLER METER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE DIAL AND REGISTER Filed Jan. 2v, 1947 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 U mln Ta N 7N L my m 5M 1J w 71,/ u

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE DIAL AND REGISTER Jacob C. Miller, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner to Badger Meter Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 27, 1947, seria1N0.724,6zo

(o1. vs -'257i l5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in meters.

The meter in which the invention is embodied is particularly adapted to be used in the metering of 'oils and greases, but it has also a wide variety voi other uses.

It is a. primary object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and accurate meter having component parts which may be die cast, and which are assembled in a manner permitting a wide variety of changes to be made for different types of meters. Die casting an economical operation only where large quantities of parts are to be required. By using the die cast parts interchangeably in a wide variety of meters, I make it possible to take advantage of this mode of construction.

It is a further object of the invention t provide a novel and improved organizational assembly, using an external shell to hold the various interchangeable parts in selective positions on the die cast unit of the meter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improved driving arrangement and a novel and improved resetting arrangement for meters of this character.

Still other objects will be more apparent from the following disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in axial section through a meter embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the meter shown in Fig. l, portions of the pointen'y knobs being broken away to expose the koverrunning clutch.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the motor which drives the meter as it appears with all but a small fragment of the cover removed.

Fig. 4is a det-ail view in plan of the rpart driven by th motor, the driven shaft being shown in section.

Fig. 5 is a detail view in plan of one of the meter pointers and its driving part, a portion of the pointer being broken away, and a fragment of the meter dial being illustrated thereben'eath.

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the meter pointer shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. '1 is an enlarged, detail view showing, partially in side elevation, and partially in section, the relation 'of the respective pointers to each other and to the dial.

Fig. 8 is a vplan View of the apparatus Vshown vin Fig. 1 with the dia-l removed, anda shell illustrated in section.

Fig. 9 is a plan .vi-ew or' the die 'cast unit from which the totalizer base shown in Fig. 8 has been removed, the Vshell being illustrated in section.

Fig. 10 shows a somewhat Vmodified form of meter using, however, the 'die cast base unit above referred to. y

Fig. V1l shows va 'further modified meter using the same die cast base unit wit-l1 'a-mod'iiied shell.

Fig. Y12 shows, in reta'tively 'separated positions, the component parts 'of reduction gearing ernployed between the motor and the registering parts of the meter, a nxed, internal gear and driving pinions being shown in plan, and the driven internal gear being shown in inverted plan.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged, detail view in section showing, on larger scale than Fig. l', the assembled gears of the gear reduction set.

The base unit for the various embodiments of my invention comprises the lhousing member Il which is preferably die cast in one piece to -provide a chamber for the motor casing I5, a vcham- -ber I`6 for the reduction gear set'hereinafter, to be described, an Vannular flange at -I1 to which the shell I8 is fastened, 'and a number of radial webs i9, 20, 2l for securely positioning such shell. There is `also at 22 -a radially extending boss, sufiiciently large to provide a threaded Asockcet 23 serving as an outlet coupling from chamber I6.

Into the bottom of the cast unit I '4 is threaded a plug 24 which has a threaded socket at 25 vproviding inlet coupling. The plug not only provides the inlet coupling, but is screwed upwardly against the motor casing I5 to hold such casing tightly against the shoulder 26.

While the motor may be of any conventional design, and preferably comprises the welt-known type illustrated, its construction and Ymeration will be brieiiy described.

The motor casing I5 has an inlet 21 Vin itsjbottom, and it is provided with a top 28 which aifords an `outlet 29. Extending vertically wit-hin the casing between the inlet 21 andthe 'outlet 29 is a partition 30. Since the'c'ylindrica-l piston 3l is so mounted that it can move only orbital-1y about the casing I5, with its periphery in vsubstantional contact with the inner wall of casing I5, it follows vthat the materia-l admitted throhgh the inlet 21 can only pass through the outlet 29 by driving t-he piston orbitally about the casing.

Toguide the piston, the following means is provided: There is a 'center post 33 xe'd in the bottom of casing I5, and from which the annular flange 34 is spaced to provide an annular channel 35. The piston carries at its center -a downwardly projecting pin 36, guided in thesaid channell for orbital movement around the 'center post 33. A A

The cover -28 for the motor vcasing I5 provides at 38 a sleeve within which the 'hub 39 of the fixed gear et is disposed. This hub provides a bearing for the output shaft #ii of the motor. As best shown in Fig. 4, this shaft carries at its lower end a disk 52, which is rotatable within the sleeve 33 and is radially notched at t3 to receive a, pin it which projects upwardly from the center of the cylindrical piston 3l, being opposite to the downwardly projecting pin rihus, the orbital movement of the cylindrical piston under pressure of material admitted at se and entering the motor through port 2l' causes the cylinder to move orbitally and thereby develops rotative movement of the motor shaft i i.

The top of shaft l carries a driving pinion 5, as beslJ shown in Fig. 13. Meshing with this pinion is a floating gear @t which has no shaft and simply rests on the bottom of the ring gear lit, as shown in Figs. l2 and 13. The diameter of gear lit is such that it meshes with pinion l5 and with ring gear llt. The stationary ring gear is shouldered at lit, and Within the shoulder is fitted another ring gear 5% which differs slightly from the stationary gear it in thev number of teeth. The fioating gear it is high enough in its axial extent to mesh with both of the ring gears.

1n practice, I provide the stationary ring gear it with fifty-three teeth 5l, and I provide the driven ring gear 5t with fifty-two teeth E2. es the pinion Lie rotates, the planetary floating gear .65 is constrained by its engagement with the teeth 5l of the fixed gear 4Q to move orbitally. Since it also meshes with the teeth 52 of the driven gear and since the driven gear has a different A.number of teeth from the stationary gear fit, the effect of the orbital movement of the planetary gear le is to rotate the driven gear 59 by an amount which, in each complete orbital movement of planetary gear tit, will equal the difference in the number of teeth. In the disclosed device, the driven gear 55 will be rotated for just one tooth upon each such orbital movement. In the particular device disclosed, ve and onehalf rotations of the pinion i5 and the shaft di are required to produce a movement of the shaft 53 equal to one tooth of driven gear 5t.

While it is recognized that this type of gear reduction transmission is old per se, it is of par ticular utility in the meter organization disclosed because it achieves directly, vand without anyT other gearing whatever, the entire reduction fromthe motor to at least one of the meter register pointers. Moreover, it does this between two axially aligned shafts, this being of advantage in a meter of the design herein disclosed.

The shaft 53, to which the gear 5t is con` nected, passes upwardly through the packing gland 541 and has screwed to its upper end a pointer actuator 55. The lock nut 55 is used 'to hold the'actuator 55 in the position to which it is adjusted in its threaded connection with shaft t. The knob 55, carrying pointer 5l, encircles the actuator 55 and is driven therefrom in the direction of shaft rotation by a ball clutch 58 of conventional design, the clutch being shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. As shownin Fig. 2, the pointer cannot be advanced respecting the shaft butis rotatable counter-clockwise for resetting. Although the drive Yis in the relative direction in which clutch overrun may occur, the spring bias on the ball develops more than adequate drivving friction to actuate the pointer clockwise.

To hold the'knob 55 in place on its actuator t5, I provide a collar 59 which is disposed in an undercut channel beneath actuatorl 55,' and to which the knob is held by screw 5t. Thus, as

a above indicated, there is a direct drive from the motor to the pointer El through only a. single reduction gear set.

Where a totalizer is desired, I provide the shaft 53 with a worm gear t2 which drives the totalizer t3, as shown in Fig. l. Further reference will be made to the manner in which the totalizer is mounted.

Where a second pointer is desired, as to indicate gallons of material metered (assuming that the pointer 5i' shows quarts), I may mount on shaft 53 a driving pinion Bt, which meshes with a gear Se supported by a shoulder on post St. A pinion 67 integra-l with gear 65 drives gear 68, which is integral with a pointer actuator t9, upon which is mounted the hub l@ of pointer i. A ball clutch i2, as shown in Fig. 5, drives the pointer 'ii from the actuator @9. This clutch functions in the same manner as clutch 58 hereinbefore described. The ratio between pinion Sli and gear $5 is a ratio of one to two, and the ratio between the gear tt Vand pinion 671 is likewise a ratio of one to two, so that the pointer i! is driven one-fourth as rapidly as the pointer 5l. For different quantities, different ratios would obviously be used.

The topY of the base casting ifi is provided, at points which are preferably equally spaced, with opstanding pegs la. In Fig. 9, I have shown four such pegs to be used. The mounting plate 'i5 has sockets with which these upstanding pegs register in the manner best shown in Fig. l. This mounting plate is preferably also die cast, and it is conveniently made in such a manner, that above certain of the sockets, and in line with the respective peg ifi of the base casting, there are posts t6, 1S, and i?, integral with the plate. The post 66 has already been described. It is shouldered to provide a bearing and a seat for the gear t5 and pinion El. The post 'it may have formed integrally with it, a wall 78 which oomprises one side of the totalizer unit, the several shafts required for an otherwise conventional unit having bearings in this integral wali. The opposite wall 79 of the totalizer unit is fastened independently to the base plate i5.

The post Ti has no function other than to oooperate with posts 'it and $5 in the support of the dial 85.

Each of the posts last mentioned has its top end reduced in diameter to comprise a pin Si, as best shown in Figs. l and 8. The dial has holes in which the pins El are received in the manner indicated in Fig. l, and by means of which the dial position is xed when the dial is indexed to a desired position respecting the posts. The external shell I8 has its top margin rolled or beaded inwardly, las shown at 82, to engage the dial. The shell in turn is held by screws 83 (Fig. 8) to the base casting, thereby securely holding the dial, and the totalizing register, and the mounting plate ii in place upon the base casting iii. While the anchorage is an unusually rigid one, it is new ertheless very easily possible, by merely removing screws 83 and the knob, to lift the dial and, the mounting plate ,75 and all of the intervening mechanism, and to rotate these to a new position on the base member in order that the dial may have the position most convenient for use. The equal, angular spacing between the pegs it permits this adjustment and assures that the parts will be as rigidly fixed in their new positions as in their original positions'.

Where one pointer is sufficient, a slightly shorter shaft 536 is substituted, as in Fig. l0, for the enema? shaft 53, anda .slightly different 'form of lkn'ob =B0 'and pointer 510 may be used in lieu oflknob E6 and `pointer 57. The gear train which-comprises pinion 64, gear 65, pinion El', and gear 68 is omitted, together `with the pointer actuator- 69, andthe pointer carrier fil, and pointer ll. Thus, with the omission of the parts not needed, and very slight changes in but few of the remaining parts, a different style of meter is had.

Another style of change is shown in Fig. 1l, where the tota-lizing register G3 has been com- -pletely omitted, along with the mounting plate 75. A shorter shell |"8 holds the dial disk Si) in a position determined by the spacers S5 which lare socketed to receive the pegs '14, formerly engaged with the mounting plate.

Where both pointers are used, as in the preferred construction shown in Fig. l, it is desirable to provide means whereby the knob 55 may be used to re-set both pointers simultaneously to the zero starting vpoint on the dial. The dial 80 is provided at 85 with an arcuately shaped ratchet tooth'with which the spring pau/'l 85 of the pointer carrier 'It is engageable when such carrier is rotated reversely to the .starting point. On the upper surface of the carrier 'I9 is a similar ratchet tooth at 8l' with which the spring biased plunger 53 vin 'theknob 56 is 'engageable when the knob is rotated irev'ersely with 'respect to the direction inwhich 'it vis 'spaced bythe shaft. In the direction of shaft operation, the respective ball clutches frictionally engage and iimscsitively operate the carrier in, and the vknob 55, and the respective pointers. When itis desired to re-set the meter to the starting point, the knob 55 is clasped and rotated reversely toward the starting point. Wherever its plunger te encounters the tooth 3l ofthe carrier it), 'the i-:n'ob picks up such carrier and rotates it with the knob toward the starting point. When the starting point is reached, the engagement of the spring pawl 85 with ratchet tooth 85 in the dial disk Se brings both pointers to rest.

As compared with most meters, the construction herein disclosed not only has few parts, but it employs one or two die cast parts in various 0rganizaticns to produce a variety of meter types, thus facilitating the economical die cast production of these larger parts in large quantities.

The assembly is such that the shell which encloses the totalizing register serves as a means for maintaining the organization in assembly, while facilitating changes in design or changes in location of the dial and the meter pointers to facilitate the convenience of the operator in aparticular installation.

It will, of course, be understood that the particular design changes illustrated are merely by way of eXemplincati-on, and that various changes relating both to structure, and to the design of the various alternative assemblies, may be :made within the scope of the appended claims. It is further contemplated that many advantages of this invention may be achieved without necessarily making the base unit i4 of a die casting or other type of casting.

I claim:

l. In a meter, the combination with a hollow base unit and a meter shell, the base unit being provided with shell positioning flanges and containing a motor, a reduction gear set, and a meter shaft extending upwardly from the base unit, of locating pegs projecting upwardly from the base unit at spaced points about said shaft, dial supporting means socketed to engage said 6 pegs, and `a dial mounted on. said .mea-ns and engaged by said shell whereby said dial 4is held in position on 'said'ba'se by said shel1,fsaidshell vand base having securing screws.

The combination set forth in claim l in which said pegs are equidis'tant from the shaft and are located on radii having equal rangles therebetween, whereby said' supporting means and dial may be adjusted respecting the base to a plurality of angular positions.

3. The combination set forth in claim l in which thedial supporting means comprises posts socketed to receive the respective pegs and provided at their upper ends with pins, said dial having apertures engaged on said pins.

4. The combination 'set forth in claim l in which the dial supporting means comprises a mountingplate socketedto receive said pegs, and posts, said posts having terminal pins with which said dial is engaged.

5. The combination set forth in claim vl in which said dial supporting means comprises a plate socketed to receive said pegs and provided with an opstanding flange, together with a totalizing register for which 'said ange constitutes one wall, said register' comprising another wall having independent `connection with said plate.

6. In a meter, the combination with a base member provided with a meter passage, a motor 30V having shaft, and an 'output 'shaft having a driving 4connection from the motor shaft, of e.v dial co-axial with the shafts, a support carrying the dial from the base, said `support Ahaving rei'easable connecting means with the dial. upon which the `dial is angularly adjustable, and a shell marginally Yconneeted with the dial and enclosing the dial and the support and at least a part of the base, said base comprising lmeans for positioning said shell in clamping relation to the dial and said kconnecting means, and said shell. having releasable means connecting it with the base whereby the shell may be released to unclamp the dial.

'7. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the support and the dial are indexably movable respecting the base upon release of the shell from the base.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the support and the dial are indexably movable respecting the base upon release of the shell from the base, the base having locating pegs, and the dial support having complementary sockets adapted to pre-determine various relative positions of the support respecting the base.

9. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the dial and the base have respective peg and socket locating means with which a variety of supports are interchangeably engageable.

l0. The combination set forth in claim o in which said driving connections comprising a reduction gear set, and said output shaft being aligned with the motor shaft, said output shaft extending centrally through said shell and support and dial and being provided externally of the dial with a pointer and driving means therefor.

1l. In a meter, the combination with a base unit provided with a meter passage and a motor therein, and an output meter shaft, of a dial, a dial support mounted on the base unit and comprising a shouldered post, a pointer provided with a hub mounted directly on said shaft, a second pointer rotatable co-aXially with the first mentioned pointer and provided with a separate hub, and a gear train connecting said second hub with said shaft andv including a gear mounted on the shoulder Aof said post, said dial being provided with a ratchet stop tooth opposed to the direction of pointer rotation, said second pointer having a pawl engageable with said tooth when rotated oppositely to its normal direction of rotation, and a pawl and ratchet connection for transmitting motion from the first pointer to the second pointer when the rst pointer is rotated opposite to its normal direction of rotation.

12. In a meter comprising a dial and two pointers, a re-setting device comprising over-running clutch means for each of said pointers permitting reverse rotation thereof, a stop tooth on the dial, a pawl carried by one of said pointers and engageable with said stop tooth when said last mentioned pointer is reversely rotated, and pawl and ratchet means engageable between the first and second pointers in the reverse rotation of the iirst pointer whereby to transmit reverse rotative movement from the first pointer to the second pointer, said dial tooth limiting the extent of the conjoint reverse movement of said pointers.

13. In a meter, the combination with a base unit provided internally with a meter passage, of

a motor in said passage, shaft means extending from said motor and projecting from the base unit, a dial support mounted on the base unit, the base unit and dial support respectively having dowel and socket means symmetrically positioned about the shaft means to define a plurality of angularly indexed positions of the support re specting the base unit, means for selectively connecting said dial support to the base unit in one of said positions, a dial on the support in a position of adjustment determined by the position of therein, a motor having a casing seated against the shoulder, a plug threaded into said housing and holding said motor casing to the shoulder,

saidplug having `a water inlet coupling leading to said passage and the housing having an outlet laterally from said passage, a gear reducer having a casing in the passage and confined between the casting and the motor casing, said reducer including a gear set in driven connection with the motor and provided with an output shaft projecting from the casting opposite the inlet, a dial support element and dial element mounted on the casting, a pointer on the shaft operable over the dial element, and a shell embracing the base unit casting and shouldered in engagement with the dial element and constituting means for holding the dial element and support element and base unit in assembly.

15. The device of claim 14 including cooperating parts on said casting and one of said elements for dening a plurality of dial positions indexed about said shaft.

J AC-OB C. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this :patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 476,101 Thomson May 3l, 1892 501,203 Bassett July 11, 1893 520,195 Thomson May 22, 1894 714,823 Samain Dec. 2, 1902 1,079,103 Bowser Nov. 18, 1913 1,565,793 Chrisman Dec. 25, 1925 1,608,059 De Borde Nov. 23, 1926 1,608,231 Bradley Nov. 23, 1926 1,870,155 Weymouth et al Aug. 2, 1932 2,025,849 Cornell Dec. 31, 1935 2,059,433 Bradley Nov. 3, 1936 2,309,332 Tancred Jan. 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 507,041 Great Britain June 8, 1939 

